Drop-on-demand identification document printing with surface pre-treatment

ABSTRACT

A single plasma nozzle of a plasma treatment station is used to treat the card surface prior to performing drop-on-demand printing on the card surface. The single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less than the width of the card. The card and the plasma nozzle are moved relative to one another using a two direction control scheme during plasma treatment in order to be able to plasma treat a desired area of the card surface. The card and the plasma nozzle may also be moveable toward or away from one another to change the distance therebetween.

FIELD

This description relates to performing printing operations on surfacesof plastic or composite cards such as financial (e.g., credit, debit, orthe like) cards, driver's licenses, national identification cards,business identification cards, gift cards, and other plastic orcomposite cards which bear or will bear personalized data unique to thecardholder and/or which bear other card information. The printingtechniques described herein can be also be used to print on passportpages which bear or will bear personalized data unique to the intendedpassport holder and/or which bear other passport information.

BACKGROUND

It is known to process identification documents such as plastic cardsusing various techniques including printing, embossing, reading datafrom and/or writing data to a magnetic stripe, reading data from and/orprogramming an integrated circuit chip, applying holographic foilpatches, and the like. In one known process, drop-on-demand printing isperformed on a card surface after the card surface has been plasmatreated.

SUMMARY

Apparatus, systems and methods are described where an identificationdocument such as a plastic card or a passport page is printed on in aprinter after a surface of the identification document has been plasmatreated using a plasma treatment method. The plasma treatment of thesurface makes the surface more receptive to the printing. The printingcan be any type of printing that may benefit from a plasma pre-treatmentof the surface. Examples of printing include, but are not limited to,drop-on-demand printing in a drop-on-demand printer that prints usingink, including but not limited to ultra-violet (UV) radiation curableink.

The identification document can be any type of identification documentthat bears or will bear personalized data unique to the intendeddocument holder and/or which bears other document information. Examplesof identification documents include, but are not limited to, plastic orcomposite cards such as financial (e.g., credit, debit, or the like)cards, driver's licenses, national identification cards, businessidentification cards, gift cards, and other plastic or composite cardswhich bear or will bear personalized data unique to the cardholderand/or which bear other card information; and passports and passportpages which bear or will bear personalized data unique to the intendedpassport holder and/or which bear other passport information.

In one embodiment, a single plasma nozzle of a plasma treatment stationis used to treat the document surface. The use of a single plasma nozzleis less costly than using multiple nozzles or using a rotary plasma uniteach of which may be able to plasma treat the entire document surface ina single pass of the document.

The single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less thanthe width of the document. In order to plasma treat the surface, theflow of the plasma that impacts the surface is controlled in twodirections (i.e. in an x and y plane) in order to facilitate desiredtreatment of the surface using the single plasma nozzle. The twodirection control can be achieved in at least three ways: (1) moving theplasma nozzle in two directions while keeping the identificationdocument stationary; (2) moving the identification document in twodirections while keeping the plasma nozzle stationary; or (3) moving theplasma nozzle in one direction and moving the identification document ina second direction.

In another embodiment, the plasma nozzle and the identification documentcan be moved relative to one another to alter the distance between theplasma nozzle and the surface of the identification document. Forexample, the plasma nozzle can be mounted so as to be moveable closer toor away from the identification document, or the identification documentcan be mounted so as to be moveable closer to or away from the plasmanozzle, or both the plasma nozzle and the identification document can bemounted so as to be moveable closer to or away from one another.

In one embodiment, a second single plasma nozzle can be provided. Thesecond single plasma nozzle can be positioned and oriented to providepre-treatment to a second, opposite surface of the identificationdocument.

The techniques described herein can be applied to a plastic cardidentification documents such as a financial (e.g., credit, debit, orthe like) card, driver's license, national identification card, businessidentification card, gift card, and other plastic cards which bearpersonalized data unique to or assigned specifically to the cardholderand/or which bear other card information. The term “plastic card” asused herein is intended to encompass cards that are completely orsubstantially plastic, as well as cards that have non-plastic orcomposite components (i.e. a composite card) and cards having otherformulations that function like the card types indicated above. Cardsthat are encompassed by the term “plastic cards” often bear printedpersonalized data unique to or assigned specifically to the cardholder,such as the name of the cardholder, an account number, an image of theface of the cardholder, and other data. The techniques described hereincan also be applied to passports and passport pages that are plastic orthat have plastic layers or coatings whose surfaces may need to beplasma treated to make the surface more receptive to ink as with plasticcards.

In one embodiment, a method of pre-treating a surface of anidentification document prior to performing drop-on-demand printing onthe surface includes plasma treating the surface of the document using asingle plasma nozzle in a plasma treatment station.

In another embodiment, a method of processing an identification documentin an identification document printing system includes, in theidentification document printing system, plasma treating a surface ofthe identification document using a single plasma nozzle in a plasmatreatment station. Thereafter, the identification document is input intoa drop-on-demand printer of the identification document printing system,and thereafter the surface of the identification document is printed onusing the drop-on-demand printer. In one embodiment, the ink used by thedrop-on-demand printer may be UV-radiation curable ink.

In another embodiment, a method of processing an identification documentin an identification document printing system includes, in theidentification document printing system, plasma treating a surface ofthe identification document using a plasma nozzle in a plasma treatmentstation by moving the plasma nozzle and the identification documentrelative to one another so the surface is treated in a non-linearpattern where the plasma nozzle follows a non-linear path over thedocument surface, and thereafter printing on the surface of theidentification document using the drop-on-demand printer.

In still another embodiment, a method of personalizing a plastic cardincludes plasma treating at least a portion of the surface of theplastic card using a moveable plasma nozzle, and printing personalizeddata on at least a portion of the plasma treated surface using adrop-on-demand printer.

In still another embodiment, a method of pre-treating a surface of anidentification document prior to performing drop-on-demand printing onthe surface includes using a plasma nozzle to plasma treat at least aportion of the surface of the identification document while moving therelative positions of the surface and the plasma nozzle along a firstand a second axis.

An embodiment of an identification document printing system describedherein can include an identification document input that can hold aplurality of identification documents prior to printing, anidentification document output that can hold a plurality ofidentification documents that have been printed on, and a plasmatreatment station located between the identification document input andthe identification document output that has an identification documenttravel path along which an identification document travels through theplasma treatment station. The plasma treatment station includes a plasmanozzle that is oriented toward the identification document travel pathto discharge plasma onto a surface of an identification document, withthe plasma nozzle having a plasma discharge width that is less than thewidth of the identification document. In addition, the plasma nozzle ismovable relative to the identification document travel path. Inaddition, a drop-on-demand printer is located between the identificationdocument input and the identification document output, and a cardtransport system is provided that transports identification documentsbetween the identification document input, the plasma treatment station,the drop-on-demand printer, and the identification document output.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of anidentification document printing system described herein.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the plasma nozzle described hereindischarging onto a surface of the identification document.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the plasma nozzle relative to theidentification document.

FIG. 4 depicts one example of a serpentine movement pattern between theplasma nozzle and the identification document as they move relative toone another.

FIG. 5 depicts another example of a serpentine movement pattern betweenthe plasma nozzle and the identification document as they move relativeto one another.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example implementation of a plasma treatmentstation described herein.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of anidentification document printing system described herein.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of anidentification document printing system described herein.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of anidentification document printing system described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described in further detail below, some or all of a surface of anidentification document is plasma treated prior to performing printingon the plasma treated surface in a printer to make the surface morereceptive to the colorant used in the printing. The printing can be anytype of printing that may benefit from a plasma pre-treatment of thesurface. Examples of printing include, but are not limited to,drop-on-demand printing in a drop-on-demand printer that prints usingink, including but not limited to ultra-violet (UV) radiation curableink. For sake of convenience, the following description will describethe printing as being drop-on-demand printing in a drop-on-demandprinter. However, other types of printing can be utilized.

The identification document can be any type of identification documentthat bears or will bear personalized data unique to the intendeddocument holder and/or which bears other document information. Examplesof identification documents include, but are not limited to, plastic orcomposite cards such as financial (e.g., credit, debit, or the like)cards, driver's licenses, national identification cards, businessidentification cards, gift cards, and other plastic or composite cardswhich bear or will bear personalized data unique to the cardholderand/or which bear other card information; and passports and passportpages which bear or will bear personalized data unique to the intendedpassport holder and/or which bear other passport information.

For sake of convenience in describing the techniques herein, theidentification document will hereinafter be referred to as a “plasticcard”, “identification card” or “card”. However, the techniquesdescribed herein can be applied to other identification documents havingone or more surfaces that can be plasma treated to make the surface(s)more receptive to ink as with plastic cards.

The term “plastic card” as used herein is intended to encompass cardsthat are completely or substantially plastic, as well as cards that havenon-plastic or composite components (composite cards) and cards havingother formulations that function like the card types indicated above.Cards that are encompassed by the term “plastic cards” often bearprinted personalized data unique to or assigned specifically to thecardholder, such as the name of the cardholder, an account number, animage of the face of the cardholder, and other data.

The techniques described herein can be applied to all types of plasticcards such as financial (e.g., credit, debit, or the like) cards,driver's licenses, national identification cards, businessidentification cards, gift cards, and other plastic cards which bearpersonalized data unique to or assigned specifically to the cardholderand/or which bear other card information. In one non-limiting example,the techniques described herein can be used on plastic financial cards.A financial card, which may also be referred to as a credit card or adebit card, as used herein refers to a type of card that allows thecardholder to borrow funds or that has a stored monetary value. Afinancial card typically has at least a cardholder name and an accountnumber provided thereon, often by printing. A financial card may alsohave an integrated circuit chip that stores data relating to the cardand/or a magnetic stripe that stores data relating to the card and/or asignature panel that allows a user to sign their name and/or aholographic foil patch.

The techniques described herein can be implemented in any suitableplastic card printing system. In one embodiment, the plastic cardprinting system as a whole, and the plasma treatment and printingtechniques described herein, have a card throughput of at least about1500 cards per hour. In other embodiments, the plastic card printingsystem and the plasma treatment and printing techniques described hereincan have a card throughput of at least 2500 cards per hour, and infurther embodiments can have a throughput of at least 3000 cards perhour.

One example of a type of plastic card printing system that can be usedis referred to as a central issuance card processing system that istypically designed for large volume batch processing of plastic cards,often employing multiple processing stations or modules to processmultiple plastic cards at the same time to reduce the overall per cardprocessing time. Examples of central issuance card processing systemsinclude the MX family of central issuance systems available from EntrustDatacard Corporation of Shakopee, Minn. Other examples of centralissuance systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,825,054, 5,266,781,6,783,067, and 6,902,107, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

Another example of a type of plastic card printing system that can beused is referred to as a desktop card processing system that istypically designed for relatively small scale, individual plastic cardprocessing. In desktop processing systems, a single plastic card to beprocessed is input into the system, processed, and then output. Thesesystems are often termed desktop machines or desktop printers becausethey have a relatively small footprint intended to permit the machine toreside on a desktop. Many examples of desktop machines are known, suchas the SD or CD family of desktop card machines available from EntrustDatacard Corporation of Shakopee, Minn. Other examples of desktop cardmachines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,434,728 and 7,398,972, eachof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of one embodiment of an identificationdocument printing system 10 that can be used to plasma treat and printon identification documents such as plastic cards 12 (see FIGS. 2 and 3)as described herein. In this example, the system 10 can include anidentification document input 14, a plasma treatment station 16, a printstation 18 such as a drop-on-demand print station, and an identificationdocument output 20. As discussed above, the elements 14-20 in the system10 can be part of a central issuance identification document processingsystem or part of a desktop identification document processing system.The elements 14-20 can be separate stations or modules, or thefunctionalities of one or more of the elements 14-20 can be combinedinto what may be considered a common station or module with the otherelements. For example, the plasma treatment station 16 and the printstation 18 of FIG. 1 could be combined into what may be considered acommon station instead of being separate stations as implied in FIG. 1.A controller 22 is connected to and controls the operation of each ofthe elements 14-20.

The identification document input 14 can be an identification documentinput hopper designed to hold a plurality of identification documentswaiting to be fed on-by-one into the system 10 for processing. Anexample of an identification document input hopper in the form of a cardinput hopper is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,107 which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Alternatively, theidentification document input 14 can be an input slot through whichindividual documents are fed one-by-one into the system 10.

The plasma treatment station 16 is configured to pre-treat a desiredportion of the surface of the identification document 12 using a streamof ionized gas to render the plasma-treated surface more receptive tothe subsequent application of ink that is applied to the plasma-treatedsurface in the print station 18 so that the printed ink adheres betterto the surface. In one embodiment, the plasma treatment station 16 caninclude a blown ion plasma system. The general concept of plasmatreating a surface of an identification document such as a card is wellknown in the art. In one embodiment, the plasma treatment performed bythe plasma treatment station 16 occurs at a rate of at least about 1500documents per hour.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, one non-limiting embodiment of the plasmatreatment station 16 will be described. In the illustrated embodiment,the plasma treatment station 16 includes a single plasma nozzle 30 thattreats the document surface. The single plasma nozzle 30 has a maximumplasma discharge width W that is less than the width W_(c) of thedocument 12, as well as a length L that is less than the length L_(c) ofthe document 12. FIGS. 2-3 show the plasma nozzle 30 being directed ator facing a surface 32 of the document 12 so that a plasma stream 34discharged from the nozzle 30 will impact the surface 32. Because thewidth W is less than the width W_(c) of the document 12, and the lengthL is less than the length L_(c) of the document 12, the plasma stream 34only contacts a portion of the document surface 32 at any moment intime. Accordingly, if treatment of the entire document surface 32 orother portions of the document surface 32 is desired, the flow of theplasma that impacts the surface is controlled in two directions (i.e. inan x and y plane) in order to facilitate desired treatment of thesurface using the single plasma nozzle.

The two direction control can be achieved in at least three ways: (1)moving the plasma nozzle 30 in two directions while keeping the document12 stationary; (2) moving the document 12 in two directions whilekeeping the plasma nozzle 30 stationary; or (3) moving the plasma nozzle30 in one direction and moving the document 12 in a second direction.Any of these two direction control schemes can be utilized. For sake ofconvenience, the two direction control scheme will be described in thefollowing description as moving the plasma nozzle 30 in one directionand moving the document 12 in a second direction.

A document transport system is provided that transports the document 12along a document travel path 36 between the document input 14, theplasma treatment station 16, the print station 18 and the documentoutput 20. The document transport system can have any constructionsuitable for transporting the document 12. Many examples of documenttransport systems that could be used are well known in the art. Examplesof card transport systems that can be used include, but are not limitedto, rollers, belts (with tabs or without tabs), carriage(s), anycombinations thereof, and the like. The construction and operation ofdocument transport systems for transporting documents between a documentinput, a document output, and document processing stations between adocument input and a document output are well known in the art. Aportion of the document travel path 36 through the plasma treatmentstation 16 is indicated in dashed lines in FIG. 3. The document travelpath 36, at least from the card input 14, through the plasma treatmentstation 16, through the print station 18 and into the document output20, is linear or straight.

The movement of the document 12 along the document travel path 36relative to the plasma nozzle 30 is suitable to permit treatment of alimited surface area of the surface 32 from a first end 38 of thedocument 12 to a second end 40 over a width of the surface 32corresponding to the discharge width W. If treatment of additionalsurface area of the surface 32 is desired, the plasma nozzle 30 and/orthe document 12 must also be moved in a direction Y that is transverseor perpendicular to a direction X of the movement of the document 12along the document travel path.

In the illustrated example, the plasma nozzle 30 is mounted so as to beable to move in the direction Y (or first direction) relative to thedocument 12, with the plasma nozzle 30 driven by a suitable plasmanozzle drive mechanism. At the same time, the document 12 is movable inthe direction X (or second direction) by the document transport systemrelative to the plasma nozzle 30. In one embodiment, the document 12 ismovable relative to the plasma nozzle 30 both in forward and reversedirections along the X direction as indicated by the double headed arrowin FIG. 3. Likewise, the plasma nozzle 30 is movable relative to thedocument 12 in both forward and reverse directions along the Y directionas indicated by the double headed arrow in FIG. 3. This ensures that, ifdesired, the entire surface 32 of the document 12 can be plasma treatedby the plasma nozzle 30 through suitable relative movements of thedocument 12 and the plasma nozzle 30. Therefore, if the entire surfaceis to be treated, the document 12 is moved back and forth in the Xdirection (or the second direction) during plasma treatment while in theplasma treatment station.

The movements of the document 12 and/or the movements of the plasmanozzle 30 are controlled by the controller 22 so as to move relative toone another to plasma treat the desired area(s) of the surface 32 of thedocument 12. In an embodiment where all or substantially all of thesurface 32 is to be plasma treated, the document 12 and the plasmanozzle 30 can be moved relative to one another so that the surface 32 istreated in what may be referred to as a non-linear treatment pattern,non-limiting examples of which are described below with respect to FIGS.4 and 5. In one non-limiting embodiment, the plasma nozzle 30 can make 5passes over different portions of the document surface 32 generally fromthe first end 38 to the second end 40 when treating the entire surface32. However, a different number of passes of the plasma nozzle 30 overthe document surface 32 can be used to treat the entire surface.

For example, referring to FIG. 4, one embodiment of a non-lineartreatment pattern 50 in the form of a serpentine treatment pattern isillustrated for plasma treating all or substantially all of the surface32. In this embodiment, in one leg 50 a of the pattern 50, the document12 can be moved along the document travel path 36 relative to the plasmanozzle 30 in the direction X from one end 38 of the document 12 to thesecond end 40. The pattern 50 then includes a leg 50 b where the plasmanozzle 30 is moved relative to the document 12 in the direction Y,followed by a leg 50 c where the document 12 is moved in reverserelative to the plasma nozzle 30 in the direction X, followed by a leg50 d where the plasma nozzle 30 is moved relative to the document 12 inthe direction Y. These alternating relative movements between thedocument 12 and the plasma nozzle 30, and between the plasma nozzle 30and the document 12, continue until the desired area(s) of the surface32 is plasma treated.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a non-linear treatment pattern60 in the form of a serpentine treatment pattern for plasma treating allor substantially all of the surface 32. In this embodiment, in one leg60 a of the pattern 60, the document 12 can be moved along the documenttravel path 36 relative to the plasma nozzle 30 in the direction X fromone end 38 of the document 12 to the second end 40. The pattern 60 thenincludes a leg 60 b where the plasma nozzle 30 is moved relative to thedocument 12 in the direction Y, followed by a leg 60 c where thedocument 12 is moved in reverse relative to the plasma nozzle 30 in thedirection X, followed by a leg 60 d where the plasma nozzle 30 is movedrelative to the document 12 in the direction Y. These alternatingrelative movements between the document 12 and the plasma nozzle 30, andbetween the plasma nozzle 30 and the document 12, continue in adecreasing or inward “spiral” pattern until the desired area of thesurface 32 is plasma treated. In an alternative embodiment, the pattern60 may increase in size in an increasing or outward “spiral” patternopposite of the spiral pattern illustrated in FIG. 5.

In another embodiment (not shown), a non-linear treatment pattern, forexample a serpentine treatment pattern, can be used to treat a portionof the surface 32 that is less than the entire surface. For example, aportion of the surface 32 intended to contain printing such as aperson's name or account number can be plasma treated with the remainingarea of the surface 32 not being plasma treated. In addition, some orall of the treatment pattern used to treat the surface 32 can be curved,rather than the straight lines illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, resultingfrom simultaneous movements of the document 12 and the plasma nozzle 30in the X and Y directions.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in another embodiment, the plasma nozzle 30and the identification document 12 can be moved relative to one anotherto alter the distance D between the plasma nozzle 30 and the surface 32of the identification document 12. Altering the distance D for treatingthe surface can occur separately from the X and Y movements describedabove (i.e. there are no X and Y movements for treating the surfaceprior to, during or after altering the treatment distance D), or can beused together with the X and Y movements described above (i.e. thesurface can be plasma treated both with the X and Y movements as well asby altering the distance D prior to, during or after the X and Ymovements). Altering the distance D has a number of benefits such asaccommodating different surface properties of the identificationdocument 12 or between identification documents 12, achieving differentprint effects on the identification document 12 or on a subsequentidentification document 12, and accommodating wear that occurs on theplasma nozzle 30 over time.

The distance D can be altered in any suitable manner. For example, theplasma nozzle 30 can be mounted so as to be moveable closer to or awayfrom the identification document 12, or the identification document 12can be mounted so as to be moveable closer to or away from the plasmanozzle 30, or both the plasma nozzle 30 and the identification document12 can be mounted so as to be moveable closer to or away from oneanother.

For example, when treating the surface 32 of the identification document12, one portion of the surface 32 can be treated with the plasma nozzle30 and the surface 32 spaced at a first distance D1 while a secondportion of the surface 32 can be treated with the plasma nozzle 30 andthe surface 32 spaced at a second distance D2, where the second distanceD2 is different than (e.g. larger than or smaller than) the firstdistance D1. Similarly, the surface 32 of one identification document 12can be treated with the plasma nozzle 30 and the surface 32 spaced at afirst distance D1 while the surface 32 of a second identificationdocument 12 can be treated with the plasma nozzle 30 and the surface 32spaced at a second distance D2, where the second distance D2 isdifferent than (e.g. larger than or smaller than) the first distance D1.The first identification document 12 and the second identificationdocument 12 may be in sequential order with the second identificationdocument immediately following the first identification document.

In another embodiment, the surface 32 of the identification document 12,or the surfaces of two sequential identification documents 12, may betreated using different intensities from the plasma stream 34. Thedifferent intensities can be generated in any manner. For example, thedifferent intensities could result from altering the distance D betweenthe plasma nozzle 30 and the surface of the identification document(s),or by altering the intensity of the plasma stream 34 that is output fromthe plasma nozzle 30.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example implementation of the plasma treatmentstation 16. In this example, during plasma treatment of the surface, thedocument 12 can be moved along the document travel path 36 by aplurality of drive rollers 70 that are part of the document transportsystem. In addition, the plasma nozzle 30 is fixed in a mounting block72 that can be moved up and down, separately from the movement of thedocument 12 or simultaneously with the movement of the document 12, inthe direction of the arrows 74 perpendicular to the travel path 36 via adrive belt mechanism 76 that is connected to the mounting block 72 so asto actuate the mounting block 72. In addition, as described furtherabove, the nozzle 30 may also be movable toward or away from thedocument 12 in the direction of the arrows 78, to adjust the distance D(FIG. 2) of the nozzle 30 from the document surface.

Returning to FIG. 1, in the embodiment where the print station 18performs drop-on-demand printing, the print station 18 includes adrop-on-demand printer that performs drop-on-demand printing using asuitable ink. In one non-limiting embodiment, the ink used by thedrop-on-demand printer is UV-radiation curable ink that is cured byexposing the applied ink to UV radiation. An optional UV radiationapplicator 24 can be included in the station 18 or separate from thestation 18 (indicated in dashed lines in FIG. 1) to apply the UVradiation to cure the UV-radiation curable ink after the UV-radiationcurable ink is applied. The drop-on-demand printer used in the station18 and the UV radiation applicator 24 (if used) can be conventionalmechanisms well known in the art. An example of a drop-on-demand printerand a UV radiation applicator in a card printing system is thePersomaster card personalization system available from Atlantic ZeiserGmbH of Emmingen, Germany.

The document output 20 can be a document output hopper designed to holda plurality of processed documents that are output one-by-one afterbeing processed within the system 10. An example of a document outputhopper in the form of a card output hopper is described in U.S. Pat. No.6,902,107 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Alternatively, the document output 20 can be an output slot throughwhich individual documents are output one-by-one. In the case of centralissuance document processing systems, the document output 20 can be thelast element in the system 10 and located at the downstream end of thesystem 10. However, the document output 20 is not required in a centralissuance document processing system and the processed cards can beoutput directly to an inserter mechanism that attaches the cards to cardcarrier forms to create card/carrier combinations, folds thecard/carrier combinations and inserts the card carrier combinations intoenvelopes for mailing to the intended recipients. In the case of desktopdocument processing systems, the document output 20 can be located atthe downstream end of the system 10 in some systems, or even located atthe same end of the system 10 as the document input 14.

In operation, a document 12 to be processed is input from the documentinput 14 and transported into the plasma treatment station 16. Thedesired area(s) of the surface 32 of the document 12 is then plasmatreated by the plasma nozzle 30. Once the plasma treatment is finished,the document 12 is input into the print station 18 by the documenttransport mechanism and the printer, for example drop-on-demand printer,prints on the surface 32. In the case where UV-radiation curable ink isused, once printing is finished, UV radiation is applied to the surface32 to cure the UV-radiation curable ink. If no further processing of thedocument 12 is to be performed, the document 12 can then be output tothe document output 20.

Returning to FIG. 1, the system 10 can include additional stations inaddition to the stations 14, 16, 18, 20, with the additional stationscontrolled by the controller 22. For example, the system 10 can includean optional document flipper 90 (illustrated in dashed lines in FIG. 1).A document flipper (or document reorienting mechanism) can rotate thedocument 180 degrees so that a surface initially facing upward (orfacing to one side) now faces downward (or faces toward the oppositeside). The document flipper 90 is useful in embodiments where plasmatreatment and printing are desired on each of the top and bottom (orfront and back) surfaces of the document 12 in which case the plasmatreatment and the printing on each of the document surfaces can beperformed using the single plasma treatment station 16 and the singleprint station 18. In some embodiments, the document flipper 90 can bepositioned between the plasma treatment station 16 and the print station18. However, the document flipper 90 can be located elsewhere in thesystem 10. In this embodiment, some or all of the document transportsystem can be bi-directional to provide for reverse transport of thedocument. For example, if the card flipper is used and the card flipperis located between the plasma treatment station 16 and the print station18, the document transport system between the plasma treatment station16 and the card flipper 90, and between the card flipper 90 and theprint station 18 can be bi-directional so that the document 12 can betransported back and forth between the stations.

In addition, the system 10 can include one or more of a magnetic stripestation that reads data from and/or writes data to a magnetic stripe onthe document 12, an integrated circuit chip station that can read datafrom and/or program data to a programmable integrated circuit chip onthe document 12 or simultaneously read data from and/or program data tomultiple documents, a thermal transfer print station that performsthermal dye or ink printing, an embossing station that embossedcharacters on the document, an indenting station that indents characterson the document, a document verification station that verifies dataapplied to the document, and other document processing stations that arewell known in the art of identification document processing. Theadditional stations can be located anywhere in the system 10 with someof the stations, such as a magnetic stripe station and an integratedcircuit chip station, being located between the document input 14 andthe plasma treatment station 16, and some of the stations being locatedbetween the drop-on-demand print station 18 and the document output 20.FIG. 1 illustrates an example location of a magnetic stripe station 26and an integrated circuit chip station 28 between the document input 14and the plasma treatment station 16. However, the stations 26, 28 can beat other locations in the system 10.

In an embodiment, a second single plasma nozzle 30′ (illustrated in FIG.2) can be provided in addition to the plasma nozzle 30. The secondsingle plasma nozzle 30′ is positioned and oriented to providepre-treatment to a second, opposite surface 32′ of the document 12 in amanner similar to the plasma nozzle 30. The second plasma nozzle 30′ canhave a construction similar to the plasma nozzle 30. As discussed abovefor the plasma nozzle 30, the plasma nozzle 30′ can plasma treat thedesired area(s) of the surface 32′ using a two direction control schemesuch as: (1) moving the plasma nozzle 30′ in two directions whilekeeping the document 12 stationary; (2) moving the document 12 in twodirections while keeping the plasma nozzle 30′ stationary; or (3) movingthe plasma nozzle 30′ in one direction and moving the document 12 in asecond direction.

The second plasma nozzle 30′ can be located in the plasma treatmentstation 16 of FIG. 1. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 7, thesecond plasma nozzle 30′ can be located in a second plasma treatmentstation 16′. FIG. 7 illustrates a system that includes the first plasmatreatment station 16, the print station 18, the second plasma treatmentstation 16′, and a second print station 18′, such as a drop-on-demandprint station, that prints in a manner similar to the print station 18.In this embodiment, a document flipper 90 can be provided in the system10′ to rotate the document 180 degrees prior to reaching the secondprint station 18′ so that the surface 32′ faces in the correct direction(for example, upward) for printing on the surface 32′ by the printstation 18. In one embodiment, when the plasma nozzles of the plasmatreatment stations 16, 16′ are disposed on the same side of the cardtravel path, the flipper 90 can be between the print station 18 and theplasma treatment station 16′ to flip the document 180 degrees afterprinting in the print station 18. In another embodiment (notillustrated), when the plasma nozzles of the plasma treatment stations16, 16′ are disposed on opposite sides of the card travel path, theflipper 90 can be between the plasma treatment station 16′ and the printstation 18′ to flip the document 180 degrees after the plasma treatmentin the plasma treatment station 16′. The positional arrangement of theplasma treatment stations 16, 16′, the print stations 18, 18′ and thedocument flipper 90 shown in FIG. 7 is an example only. Many otherpositional arrangements of the plasma treatment stations 16, 16′, theprint stations 18, 18′ and the document flipper 90 are possible. Inaddition, in some embodiments, transport of the document between theplasma treatment station 16 and the print station 18, between the printstation 18 and the plasma treatment station 16′, and between the plasmatreatment station 16′ and the print station 18′ can be one-way, i.e. thedocument will be transported in one direction only and is not backed-upor reversed. However, in other embodiments, the document transport canbe bi-directional.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a system that uses the twoseparate plasma treatment stations 16, 16′ disposed on opposite sides ofthe document travel path, the print station 18, and the document flipper90. The plasma treatment stations 16, 16′ can be positioned generallyopposite each other as illustrated in FIG. 8, or spaced from one anotheralong the card travel path. The positional arrangement of the plasmatreatment stations 16, 16′, the print station 18, and the documentflipper 90 shown in FIG. 8 is an example only. Many other positionalarrangements of the plasma treatment stations 16, 16′, the print station18, and the document flipper 90 are possible. In FIG. 8, some portionsof the document transport can be one-way and some portions of thedocument transport can be bi-directional.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a system that uses the twoseparate plasma treatment stations 16, 16′ disposed on the same side ofthe document travel path, the print station 18, and the document flipper90. The positional arrangement of the plasma treatment stations 16, 16′,the print station 18, and the document flipper 90 shown in FIG. 9 is anexample only. Many other positional arrangements of the plasma treatmentstations 16, 16′, the print station 18, and the document flipper 90 arepossible. In FIG. 9, some portions of the document transport can beone-way and some portions of the document transport can bebi-directional.

Additional possible variants of the methods and systems described hereininclude the following variants listed below. In each of the followingvariants, the entire surface of the document can be plasma treated, oronly a portion of the document surface can be treated. If the entiresurface is to be treated, the document can be moved back and forth inthe X direction (or the second direction) during plasma treatment whilein the plasma treatment station, while the plasma nozzle is moved backand forth in the Y-direction (or the first direction) perpendicular tothe X-direction.

Variant 1: A method of pre-treating a surface of an identificationdocument prior to performing printing on the surface, comprising plasmatreating the surface of the identification document using a singleplasma nozzle in a plasma treatment station.

Variant 2: The method of variant 1, further comprising during the stepof plasma treating, moving the single plasma nozzle in a first directionand moving the identification document in a second direction.

Variant 3: The method of any one of variants 1 to 2, wherein the seconddirection is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Variant 4: The method of any one of variants 1 to 3, further comprisingmoving the single plasma nozzle and the identification document relativeto one another so that the surface is plasma treated in a non-linearpattern.

Variant 5: The method of any one of variants 1 to 4, wherein the step ofplasma treating comprises moving the single plasma nozzle and theidentification document relative to one another to plasma treat thesurface at a rate of at least about 1500 documents per hour.

Variant 6: The method of any one of variants 1 to 5, wherein theidentification document comprises a plastic card that includes anintegrated circuit chip; and further comprising reading data from and/orwriting data to the integrated circuit chip.

Variant 7: The method of any one of variants 1 to 6, wherein theidentification document comprises a plastic card that includes amagnetic stripe; and further comprising reading data from and/or writingdata to the magnetic stripe.

Variant 8: A method of processing an identification document in anidentification document printing system, comprising: in theidentification document printing system, plasma treating a surface ofthe identification document using a single plasma nozzle in a plasmatreatment station; thereafter, inputting the identification documentinto a printer of the identification document printing system; andthereafter printing on the surface of the identification document usingthe printer.

Variant 9: The method of variant 8, further comprising during the stepof plasma treating, moving the single plasma nozzle in a first directionand moving the identification document in a second direction.

Variant 10: The method of any one of variants 8 to 9, wherein the seconddirection is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Variant 11: The method of any one of variants 8 to 10, furthercomprising moving the single plasma nozzle and the identificationdocument relative to one another so that the surface is plasma treatedin a non-linear pattern.

Variant 12: The method of any one of variants 8 to 11, wherein the stepof plasma treating comprises moving the single plasma nozzle and theidentification document relative to one another to plasma treat thesurface at a rate of at least about 1500 documents per hour.

Variant 13: The method of any one of variants 8 to 12, wherein theprinter is a drop-on-demand printer, and the drop-on-demand printerprints on the surface using ultra-violet radiation curable ink.

Variant 14: The method of any one of variants 8 to 13, wherein theidentification document comprises a plastic card that includes anintegrated circuit chip; and further comprising reading data from and/orwriting data to the integrated circuit chip.

Variant 15: The method of any one of variants 8 to 14, wherein theidentification document comprises a plastic card that includes amagnetic stripe; and further comprising reading data from and/or writingdata to the magnetic stripe.

Variant 16: A method of processing an identification document in anidentification document printing system, comprising:

-   -   in the identification document printing system, plasma treating        a surface of the identification document using a plasma nozzle        in a plasma treatment station while moving the plasma nozzle and        the identification document relative to one another so that the        surface is treated in a non-linear pattern;    -   thereafter, inputting the identification document into a printer        of the identification document printing system; and    -   thereafter printing on the surface of the identification        document using the printer.

Variant 17: The method of variant 16, wherein the non-linear patternresults from moving the plasma nozzle in a first direction and movingthe identification document in a second direction.

Variant 18: The method of any one of variants 16 and 17, wherein thesecond direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Variant 19: The method of any one of variants claims 16 to 18, whereinthe step of plasma treating comprises moving the plasma nozzle and theidentification document relative to one another to plasma treat thesurface at a rate of at least about 1500 documents per hour.

Variant 20: The method of any one of variants 16 to 19, wherein theprinter is a drop-on-demand printer, and the drop-on-demand printerprints on the surface using ultra-violet radiation curable ink.

Variant 21: The method of any one of variants 16 to 20, wherein theidentification document comprises a plastic card that includes anintegrated circuit chip; and further comprising reading data from and/orwriting data to the integrated circuit chip.

Variant 22: The method of any one of variants 16 to 21, wherein theidentification document comprises a plastic card that includes amagnetic stripe; and further comprising reading data from and/or writingdata to the magnetic stripe.

Variant 23: The method of any one of variants 16 to 22, wherein thenon-linear pattern is a serpentine pattern.

Variant 24: A method of processing identification documents in anidentification document printing system, comprising:

-   -   in the identification document printing system, plasma treating        a first surface of a first identification document using a        plasma nozzle in a plasma treatment station while the plasma        nozzle is located a first distance from the first surface;    -   thereafter plasma treating the first surface of the first        identification document or a second surface of a second        identification document using the plasma nozzle in the plasma        treatment station while the plasma nozzle is located a second        distance from the first surface or from the second surface,        where the second distance is greater than or less than the first        distance.

Variant 25: A method of processing identification documents in anidentification document printing system, comprising:

-   -   in the identification document printing system, plasma treating        a first surface of a first identification document using a first        plasma stream from a plasma nozzle in a plasma treatment        station, the plasma stream having a first intensity;    -   thereafter plasma treating the first surface of the first        identification document or a second surface of a second        identification document using a second plasma stream from the        plasma nozzle in the plasma treatment station, the second plasma        stream having a second intensity, where the second intensity is        greater than or less than the first intensity.

Variant 26: An identification document printing system, comprising:

-   -   an identification document input that can hold a plurality of        identification documents prior to printing, the identification        documents having a width;    -   an identification document output that can hold a plurality of        identification documents that have been printed on;    -   a plasma treatment station located between the identification        document input and the identification document output, the        plasma treatment station having an identification document        travel path along which an identification document travels        through the plasma treatment station;    -   the plasma treatment station includes a plasma nozzle, the        plasma nozzle is oriented toward the identification document        travel path to discharge plasma onto a surface of an        identification document, the plasma nozzle has a plasma        discharge width that is less than the width of the        identification document;    -   the plasma nozzle is movable relative to the identification        document travel path;    -   a printer located between the identification document input and        the identification document output; and    -   an identification document transport system that transports        identification documents between the identification document        input, the plasma treatment station, the printer, and the        identification document output.

Variant 27: The identification document printing system of variant 26,wherein the plasma treatment station has a treatment rate of at leastabout 1500 documents per hour.

Variant 28: The identification document printing system of any one ofvariants 26 to 27, further comprising a controller in communication withthe plasma treatment station and the identification document transportsystem, wherein the controller controls the plasma treatment station andthe identification document transport system so that the plasma nozzleand the identification document are moved relative to one another sothat the surface is treated in a non-linear pattern.

Variant 29: The identification document printing system of any one ofvariants 26 to 28, wherein the non-linear pattern is a serpentinepattern.

Variant 30: The identification document printing system of any one ofvariants 26 to 29, wherein the printer is a drop-on-demand printer, andthe drop-on-demand printer prints using ultra-violet radiation curableink.

Variant 31: The identification document printing system of any one ofvariants 26 to 30, further comprising at least one of an integratedcircuit chip station and a magnetic stripe station located between theidentification document input and the identification document output.

Variant 32: A method of personalizing a plastic card comprising:

-   -   plasma treating at least a portion of the surface of the plastic        card using a moveable plasma nozzle to form a plasma treated        surface; and    -   printing personalized data on at least a portion of the plasma        treated surface using a printer.

Variant 33: The method of variant 32, wherein the plasma nozzle ismoveable in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a travelpath of the plastic card.

Variant 34: The method of any one of variants 32 to 33, wherein theplastic card includes an integrated circuit chip; and further comprisingreading data from and/or writing data to the integrated circuit chip.

Variant 35: The method of any one of variants 32 to 34, wherein theprinter is a drop-on-demand printer.

Variant 36: A method of pre-treating a surface of an identificationdocument prior to performing printing on the surface, comprising:

-   -   using a plasma nozzle to plasma treat at least a portion of the        surface of the identification document while moving the relative        positions of the surface and the plasma nozzle along a first and        a second axis.

Variant 37: A method of pre-treating a surface of an identificationdocument prior to performing printing on the surface comprising:

-   -   moving the surface of the identification document in a second        direction;    -   moving a plasma nozzle in a first direction that is        substantially perpendicular to the second direction; and    -   plasma treating at least a portion of the surface of the        identification document using a plasma stream discharged from        the plasma nozzle.

Variant 38: A method of pre-treating a surface of an identificationdocument prior to performing printing on the surface comprising:

-   -   moving a plasma nozzle in a first direction and a second        direction, where the second direction is substantially        perpendicular to the first direction; and    -   plasma treating at least a portion of the surface of the        identification document using a plasma stream discharged from        the plasma nozzle.

Variant 39: A method of pre-treating a surface of an identificationdocument prior to performing printing on the surface comprising:

-   -   moving the surface of the identification document in a first        direction and a second direction, where the second direction is        substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and    -   plasma treating at least a portion of the surface of the        identification document using a plasma stream discharged from a        plasma nozzle.

Variant 40: A plastic card or passport page, comprising:

-   -   a surface having a plasma treated portion and a non-plasma        treated portion, the plasma treated portion and the non-plasma        treated portion at least partially border one another.

Variant 41: The plastic card or the passport page of variant 40, whereinthe surface includes a plurality of plasma treated portions, and thenon-plasma treated portion borders on at least two of the plurality ofplasma treated portions.

The examples disclosed in this application are to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not limitative. The scope of the inventionis indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription; and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

1. A method of processing a plastic card or a passport page in a plasticcard or passport page printing system, comprising: in the plastic cardor passport page printing system, plasma treating a surface of theplastic card or the passport page in a plasma treatment station, theplasma treatment station has a plasma discharge width that is less thana width of the surface so that only a portion of the surface is plasmatreated in a single pass of the plastic card or the passport page withinthe plasma treatment station and a portion of the surface is not plasmatreated, wherein the portion of the surface that is plasma treatedborders on the portion of the surface that is not plasma treated;thereafter, inputting the plastic card or the passport page into aprinter of the plastic card or passport page printing system; andthereafter printing on the surface of the plastic card or the passportpage using the printer.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasmatreatment station includes a single plasma nozzle, the single plasmanozzle has a discharge width that is less than the width of the surface.3. The method of claim 1, comprising performing multiple passes of theplastic card or the passport page within the plasma treatment station,and in each one of the passes plasma treating a different portion of thesurface of the plastic card or the passport page.
 4. The method of claim2, further comprising during the plasma treating, moving the singleplasma nozzle in a first direction and moving the plastic card or thepassport page in a second direction.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinthe second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.
 6. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising during the plasma treating, movingthe single plasma nozzle and the plastic card or the passport pagerelative to one another so that the surface is plasma treated in anon-linear pattern.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the plasmatreating comprises moving the single plasma nozzle and the plastic cardor the passport page relative to one another to plasma treat the surfaceat a rate of at least about 1500 documents per hour.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the printer is a drop-on-demand printer, and thedrop-on-demand printer prints on the surface using ultra-violetradiation curable ink.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasticcard includes an integrated circuit chip, and further comprising readingdata from and/or writing data to the integrated circuit chip; and/or theplastic card includes a magnetic stripe, and further comprising readingdata from and/or writing data to the magnetic stripe.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the surface of the plastic card includes at least oneof a magnetic stripe, an integrated circuit chip, a signature panel, anda holographic foil patch; and further comprising plasma treatingportions of the surface of the plastic card other than the magneticstripe, the integrated circuit chip, the signature panel, or theholographic foil patch.
 11. A method of processing a plastic card or apassport page in a plastic card or passport page printing system,comprising: in the plastic card or passport page printing system, plasmatreating a surface of the plastic card or the passport page in a plasmatreatment station having a plasma nozzle; during the plasma treatingmoving the plasma nozzle relative to the plastic card or the passportpage in a first direction and moving the plastic card or the passportpage in second direction perpendicular to the first direction;thereafter, inputting the plastic card or the passport page into aprinter of the plastic card or passport page printing system; andthereafter printing on the surface of the plastic card or the passportpage using the printer.
 12. The method of claim 11, comprisingperforming multiple passes of the plastic card or the passport pagerelative to the plasma nozzle in the plasma treatment station, and ineach one of the passes plasma treating a different portion of thesurface of the plastic card or the passport page.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, comprising plasma treating the surface in a non-linearpattern.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first direction is adirection toward or away from the surface to alter the distance betweenthe single plasma nozzle and the surface, or the first direction is adirection that is parallel to the surface.
 15. The method of claim 11,further comprising during the plasma treating, plasma treating a portionof the surface with a plasma stream having a first intensity; andthereafter plasma treating a different portion of the surface or asurface of a second plastic card or second passport page using a secondplasma stream from the single plasma nozzle, the second plasma streamhaving a second intensity, where the second intensity is greater than orless than the first intensity.
 16. A plastic card or passport pageprinting system, comprising: an input that can hold a plurality ofplastic cards or passport pages prior to printing, the plastic cards andthe passport pages having a width; a plasma treatment station locateddownstream from the input, the plasma treatment station having a plasticcard or passport page travel path along which one of the plastic cardsor one of the passport pages travels through the plasma treatmentstation; the plasma treatment station includes a plasma nozzle, theplasma nozzle is oriented toward the travel path to discharge plasmaonto a surface of one of the plastic cards or one of the passport pages,the plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less than thewidth of the plastic cards or the passport pages; the plasma nozzle ismovable relative to the travel path in a direction that is perpendicularto a direction of travel of the plastic cards or the passport pagesalong the travel path; a printer located downstream of the input and theplasma treatment station; and a transport system that transports theplastic cards or the passport pages between the input, the plasmatreatment station, and the printer.
 17. The plastic card or passportpage printing system of claim 16, wherein the plasma treatment stationhas a treatment rate of at least about 1500 documents per hour.
 18. Theplastic card or passport page printing system of claim 16, wherein theprinter is a drop-on-demand printer, and the drop-on-demand printerprints using ultra-violet radiation curable ink; and further comprisingat least one of an integrated circuit chip station and a magnetic stripestation located downstream of the input.
 19. The plastic card orpassport page printing system of claim 16, wherein the plasma nozzle ismovable in a direction that is parallel to the surface and/or the plasmanozzle is movable in a direction toward or away from the surface toalter the distance between the plasma nozzle and the surface.
 20. Aplastic card printing system, comprising: an input that can hold aplurality of plastic cards prior to printing, the plastic cards having awidth; a plasma treatment station located downstream from the input, theplasma treatment station having a plastic card travel path along whichone of the plastic cards travels while in the plasma treatment station;the plasma treatment station includes a single plasma nozzle, the singleplasma nozzle is oriented toward the travel path to discharge plasmaonto a surface of one of the plastic cards in the plasma treatmentstation, the single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that isless than the width of the plastic cards; the single plasma nozzle ismovable during plasma treatment on one of the plastic cards in adirection that is perpendicular to a direction of travel of the plasticcards along the travel path and/or the single plasma nozzle is movablein a direction toward or away from the surface to alter the distancebetween the single plasma nozzle and the surface; a drop-on-demandprinter located downstream of the input and the plasma treatmentstation, the drop-on-demand printer prints using ultra-violet radiationcurable ink; at least one of an integrated circuit chip station and amagnetic stripe station located between the input and the plasmatreatment station; and a transport system that transports the plasticcards through the plastic card printing system.
 21. The plastic cardprinting system of claim 20, wherein the single plasma nozzle is movablein a direction that is perpendicular to a direction of travel of theplastic cards along the travel path and the single plasma nozzle ismovable in a direction toward or away from the surface to alter thedistance between the single plasma nozzle and the surface.
 22. Theplastic card printing system of claim 20, wherein the plastic cards aremovable in forward and reverse directions along the plastic card travelpath in the plasma treatment station, and the single plasma nozzle ismovable in forward and reverse directions perpendicular to the directionof travel of the plastic cards along the plastic card travel path.